Pumping apparatus unloading means



April 9, 1949. w. w. PAGET 2,196,227 5 PUMPING APPARATUS UNLOADING MEANS Filed Jan. 5, 1937,

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IIA'IIIIIIIIL'IIIIIIIAVIIIIII Patented Apr. 9, 1940 canso STATES 2,196,227 PUMIPING APPARATUS UNLOADING MEANS Win W. Paget, Michigan City, Ind., assigner to Sullivan Machinery Company,.a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 5,

Claims.

My inventiony relates to 'pumping apparatus, and more particularly to unloading means for such apparatus.

For unloading air compressors and the like,

it is desirable to provide'devices which will be very reliable, and simple in construction, occupy a minimum of space, and be very durable,y so that long continued eiiective operation can be relied upon. A diaphragm type of opening lo mechanism for the inlet valves of an yair comn presser provides an extremely compact construction, but diaphragms are susceptible to breakage, and it is an object of my invention to provide an improved `diaphragm construction l5 gree against stresses tending to' cause its fracture o-r rupture. It is another object of my invention to provider an improved type oi diaphragm operating mechanism for a compressor unloading device, in which great compactness Ais obtained, and simple means, occupying a minimum of space, for normally maintaining the' diaphragm type operating means in its inactive position except when operating fluid is supplied to effect unloading, isp-rovided. Generally, it is an object of my invention toprovide an improved unloading means. Other objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear.-

In the accompanying drawing, in which one illustrative embodiment' which the inventionmay assume in practice has been shown- Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional View through one-end of a compressor cylinder, showing an inlet valve device Yprovided with unloading apparatus constructed-in accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the the line lie-2 of Fig. l, and l Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section on the same plane as Fig. l, showing a different relative position of the 'parts-that corresponding to unloading. l

Referring to the drawing, it'will be observed thatI illustrates a portion of the cylinder head structure of a compressor, whose cylinder bore plane. of

is immediately below, in terms of Fig. 1, the point of application of the reference character 2,

whose clearance space is indicated at 3, one of portion of whose cylinder jacket is sho-wn at 5. A suitable chamber is formed at 6, within the element I, to receive an inletr valve mechanism, generally designated l; and said inlet rValve mechanism, which comprises a seat element 8, a

which shall be protected to the maximum de` whose inlet passages is indicated at 4, and al 1937, serial` No. 119,127l

(o1. la7- 153) suitably supported guard 9, valve seating springs I0, and valve elements II, is supported-by a peripherall ange I2 and gasket I3 upon a shoulder I4 formed near the inner end of the chamber 6. `Another annular shoulder I5,upon which a 5 gasket I6 rests, is formed to the outside of the flange i3 upon the cylinder head; and an arcuate portion Il of a follower member EB iSadapt- `ed to engage the flange I3 and the gasket EE and clamp the inlet valve mechanism. securely in position. `The follower I8, yin addition to its arcuate clamping portion Il, includes certain radially extending centering and stiffening flanges i9 and a dome-like portion 20 which is cut away'to provide for free communication be tween the exterior side of the valve seat member 8 and the inlet passage 6i. Ther back or outer portion kof the follower member I8 is recessed, as at 22, and provides a relatively shallow frustoconical annular seating surface 23' terminating" at its inner end in a shallow cylindrical recess 24who-se central portion is further cut away,l as at 25, so that a bottom surface 26, surrounded by a at seating surface 2l, lies at the bottom of the cut-away portion 22 of the member i8.' An annular at surface 28 is provided, surrounde ing the frusto-conioal surface 23. A cover memberv 3l) has a central recessl formed therein, surrounded by an annular plane shoulder E52, outside of which there lies a truste-conical surface 33 facing -oppositely to the frusta-conical vvsurface 23; and a peripheral annular :flat surface 34 is arranged opposite the surface 28. A bore, herein internally threaded, is provided at 35 for the admission of fluid into the recss 3!- 1 in the cover 3.0. A suitable outer cover element 3l is held by suitable screw devices 38 over the outside of the chamber 5, seating upon an appropriate'gasket 39; and-'in a threaded bore lf2 in the member 3l is a tubular clamping screw il 'through' whose'bore l2 operating fluid may be transmitted from a uid supply connectionA 43 formed in a cap lli threadedly connected with the outside of the member 4I. rA suitable ilexible diaphragm 46 isclamped at its periphery between the surfaces 28 and 34, and has reinforcement plates 49 and 50 disposed at the opposite sides of its central portion, these reinforcement plates vbeing of a thickness so that when they respectively rest upon the shoulders 21 and 32 the diaphragm is supported without anysharp bends therein throughout its entire free. area, vthat is to say, the area to the inside of the peripheral clamped portion thereof. The reinforcing plates are, furthermore, of appropriate diameter substantially to ll the shallow recesses at whose bottoms are the shoulders mentioned. These reinforcing plates and the material of the diaphragm have alined perforations, and a member 5|, carrying at its lower end the forks 52 which are adapted to engage the valves to unseat the latter to effect unloading, provides a shoulder 53 between which and a nut 54 the reinforcing plates and the diaphragm are clamped. Suitable dowels 55 and 56 predetermine the relation of the follower to the cover and the valve device proper to the follower. A transversely bowed spring 58 surrounds the element 5| below the plate 49 and engages at its free portions the surface 26. This spring is compressible, when flattened as shown in Fig. 3, to a position in surface contact with surface 2S, so that plate 4S may rest on annular shoulder or seating surface 21.

Air may be admitted to and vented from the connection 43 under the control of any suitable pressure-responsive or pressure-controlled device or any other desired control means, air being admitted through 43, for example, when the compressor discharge pressure reaches a desired maximum value, and vented after a drop of a desired amount. The pressure entering the connection 43 passes through the passage 42 and the passage 35 and acts on the top of the diaphragm, acting first upon the plate 50, and upon the unseating of the plate from the shoulder 32, acting upon the whole free area of the diaphragm. Accordingly, the stern member 5| moves the forks 52 downwardly and unseats the inlet valves, and the compressor is unloaded. When the air is vented through connection 43, the member 5|, the forks 52 and the diaphragm structure are raised again to the position shown in Fig. 1, by the spring 58. In this position of the diaphragm, as well as in the position of Fig. 3, the diaphragm is protected against excessive strains, and accordingly the diaphragm will be long-lived and not likely to be ruptured at a time when continued operation of the compressor is important. The spring 58 is of very simple construction, and of a very durable type.

It will be evident that the invention whose illustrative embodiment has now been described is simple, rugged, durable, effective, and comprises only very easily produced parts.

While I have in this application specifically described one form which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In an unloading mechanism, in combination, a diaphragm chamber, a diaphragm secured therein, said diaphragm chamber having bounding walls recessed to receive diaphragm supporting plates and providing sloping surfaces outside said recesses, reinforcing plates clamped to said diaphragm and receivable in said recesses and of such thickness that said diaphragm rests smoothly on one of said plates and on one of said surrounding surfaces smoothly in each of the extreme positions thereof, with such plate supported upon a wall of its recess, and an unloading element operatively connected to said diaphragm.

2. In combination, in an unloading apparatus, means forming a diaphragm chamber having a plurality of concentric recesses in one wall thereof, a diaphragm movable towards and from said wall, a diaphragm reinforcing plate connected to said diaphragm and adapted to lie smoothly in one of said recesses, and a transversely bowed diaphragm biasing spring pressing against said plate and adapted to be compressed completely into and to lie smoothly in another of said recesses, and an unloading device operatively connected to said diaphragm.

3. In an unloading device, in combination, means providing a diaphragm chamber having opposed frusto-conical walls surrounding recesses, a diaphragm movable between opposite Walls of said chamber, reinforcing plates therefor respectively receivable in the recesses at the opposite sides of said diaphragm to form smooth abutment surfaces for said diaphragm in each of its extreme positions, and means for applying operating pressure first to one of said reinforcing plates and, upon movement thereof, also to the flexed portion of said diaphragm.

4. In an unloading device, in combination,

means providing a diaphragm chamber having opposed frusto-conical walls surrounding recesses, a diaphragm, reinforcing plates therefor connected to the opposite sides of said diaphragm and respectively receivable in the recesses at the opposite sides of said diaphragm, means for applying operating pressure first to one of said reinforcing plates and, upon movement thereof, also to the iiexed portion of said diaphragm, and means including a transversely bowed annular spring for yieldingly pressing upon the other of said reinforcing plates opposing the movement of said diaphragm by operating pressure.

5. In an unloading device, in combination, means providing a diaphragm chamber having opposed frusto-conical walls surrounding recesses, a diaphragm, reinforcing plates therefor connected to the opposite sides of said diaphragm and respectively receivable in the recesses at the opposite sides of said diaphragm, means for applying operating pressure first to one of said reinforcing plates and, upon movement thereof, also to the flexed portion of said diaphragm, and means also receivable in a recess at one side of said diaphragm yieldingly pressing upon the other of said reinforcing plates and opposing the movement of said diaphragm by operating pressure, said yielding means providing an abutment, when compressed, for the reinforcing plate upon which it presses.

WIN W. PAGET. 

